Woman found strangled to death in Southeast Washington

Police are looking for the suspect who strangled a woman in a Southeast Washington apartment.

Tom Yeatman

Washington, D.C. --- A woman was discovered murdered, strangled to death, in her apartment Thursday night and police are looking for the suspect.

Police say just before 11 p.m., officers from the 7th District responded to a call for an “unconscious person” in the 800 block of Southern Avenue SE. That is in the Congress Heights Neighborhood.

Upon arrival, officers found the victim, later identified as 48-year-old Detra Martin, lying inside a second-floor apartment. She was in cardiac arrest. EMS personnel arrived and took Martin to George Washington University Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Martin’s body was later transferred to the medical examiner’s office where the cause of death was ruled as asphyxia due to strangulation, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

The Metropolitan Police Department offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons wanted for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police at (202) 727-9099. Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.

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Alan Henney is a freelance writer, photographer and blogger. He earned a BA in journalism with honors and an MBA in computer info systems, both from George Washington Univ. If you have a news story or question, please e-mail him at this address.